Christian Belz

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Christian Belz (born September 11, 1974 in Zurich ) is a former Swiss long-distance runner . He is the Swiss record holder in the obstacle course and 18-time Swiss champion as well as a two-time participant in the Summer Olympic Games .

biography

In the mid-1990s he specialized in the 3,000-meter obstacle course , and from 1998 onwards as a professional. At the 1999 World Athletics Championships in Seville and at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he was eliminated in the preliminary run. In 2001 he was fifth at the European Cross Country Championships , came 13th at the World Championships in Edmonton and won bronze at the Universiade . After he did not reach the final in the 3000 meter obstacle course at the European Athletics Championships in 2002 , he started there in the 5000 meter run and reached 12th place. Then Belz concentrated on the flat distances.

In 2003 he took 18th place on the short distance at the World Cross Country Championships and 13th place over 5000 meters at the World Championships in Paris / Saint-Denis , and at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens he did not get past the same distance.

In 2005 he was able to break Markus Ryffel's 20-year Swiss record in the 10,000 meter run and was voted Swiss athlete of the year . In the following year, Belz took the ungrateful fourth place at the European Championships in Gothenburg over 10,000 meters. In October 2006, Belz announced that it would switch to the half marathon and marathon route .

In 2007 the season began for him with a course record in the Reusslauf (10.5 km) and the Swiss championship title in the 10-kilometer road race . Belz made his marathon debut at the Cologne Marathon . He missed the limit for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing by over a minute and a half. Belz wanted to make a second attempt for the limit at the Zurich Marathon . However, due to an injury, Belz could not start and therefore not qualify for the games in Beijing.

After a break from competition for more than a year, Belz finished seventh as the best Swiss at the Kerzerslauf 2009, in September he won his second title on the road with the Swiss championship title in the half marathon , and as the best Swiss at the Zurich New Year's Eve , he also secured victory at the end of the year in the Post Cup . In 2010, Belz finished sixth in the 10,000-meter run at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona . After the Zurich New Year's Eve run, which Christian Belz finished in seventh place as the best Swiss, he announced his retirement from top-class sport on December 12, 2010. Belz continues to take part in road races and is still among the national leaders. He finished the 2011 Grand Prix of Bern as the best Swiss in twelfth place.

Belz started for the city gymnastics club in Bern and was trained by Gerhard Dieboldswyler. From 1996 to 1998 Belz studied and ran at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he made it to an All American. He completed his studies with a Bachelor of Arts. Belz is a research associate in sports economics at the BASPO (Federal Office for Sport). He is married to the former 800 meter Olympian Anita Brägger and they have three daughters together.

successes

  • 1996: Swiss champion 3000 meters steeple, Swiss indoor champion 1500 meters
  • 1997: Swiss champion 3000 meters steeple
  • 1999: Swiss champion 3000 meters steeple, Swiss indoor champion 1500 meters
  • 2001: 13th place world championships 3000 meters steeple, 3rd place Universiade 3000 meters steeple and 5000 meters, 5th place European cross-country championships
  • 2002: 12th place European championships 5000 meters, Swiss champions 3000 meters steeple, Swiss indoor champions 3000 meters
  • 2003: 13th place in the world championships 5000 meters, Swiss championships 5000 meters and long distance cross-country runs, Swiss indoor championships 3000 meters, 18th place in cross-country championships
  • 2004: Swiss indoor champion 3000 meters
  • 2005: 14th place World Championships 10,000 meters; Swiss indoor champion 3000 meters; Winner Post Cup
  • 2006: 4th place in the European Championships 10,000 meters; Swiss indoor champion 3000 meters; 10th place European Cross Championships
  • 2007: Swiss champion 10 km road race ; 6th place Cologne Marathon
  • 2009: Swiss champion 5000 meters and half marathon ; Winner Post Cup
  • 2010: 6th place European Championships ; Swiss champions 5000 meters and 10,000 meters

Personal best

  • 1000 meters: 2: 25.72 min (May 29, 2003 in Langenthal )
  • 1500 meters: 3: 46.66 min (June 28, 2003 in Bern )
  • 3000 meters: 7: 50.62 min (June 5, 2005 in Cottbus )
  • 3000 meters steeple: 8: 22.24 min (June 4, 2001 in Hengelo , Swiss record )
  • 5000 meters: 13: 12.16 min (August 2, 2003 in Heusden-Zolder )
  • 10'000 meters: 27: 53.16 min (August 8, 2005 in Helsinki , Swiss record until May 30, 2019)
  • Half marathon : 1:03:41 h (September 9, 2007 in Rotterdam )
  • Marathon: 2:15:08 h (October 7, 2007, Cologne Marathon )

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Belz, Christian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss long-distance runner
DATE OF BIRTH September 11, 1974
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich